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Guides for running a restaurant in Iceland
Short articles for owners and shift managers. Each guide answers one question about permits, menus, staff, payments, VAT or the end of day.
Articles
Payments
- Do you still need to take cash? Cash payments in Iceland in 2026 How much Icelanders still pay in cash, what legal tender means, what the Central Bank says about card-only restaurants, and how to decide for your own place.
- Card fees explained: interchange, the EU caps and what you actually pay What makes up the fee on each card payment, which caps apply in Iceland, and how to compare offers from card acquirers line by line.
Kitchen
- Food safety in an Icelandic kitchen: temperatures, records and what inspectors flag most The temperatures to hold, the records to keep and the findings that Reykjavík's health inspectors write up most often, for restaurant owners and head chefs. As of October 2026.
- Food waste in Icelandic restaurants: the numbers, the sorting law and the payback How much food Icelandic restaurants throw away, what the law asks you to sort, what reduction programmes have paid back elsewhere, and a simple way to measure your own waste.
Menu & allergens
- Menu prices in Iceland: what you must show, and where The price rules for restaurants in Iceland. The final price in krónur, the menu at the entrance, drink sizes, service charges, tips and how Neytendastofa inspects.
- Menu psychology: what holds up in research, and what is myth What published studies say about item position, price format, dish names and calorie labels on a menu, how strong each finding is, and how to test your own menu with sales data.
- Restaurant prices in Iceland since 2019: menu prices compared with wages and food costs Hagstofa's price and wage indexes show how restaurant prices in Iceland have moved since 2019, compared with wages in the industry, food prices and general inflation.
- Allergens on the menu: what Icelandic rules require What a restaurant, café or bakery in Iceland must tell guests about the 14 allergens, the ways you can tell them, and how to keep the information correct.
- Food cost and menu pricing, with Icelandic numbers How to work out the food cost and the margin on each dish, why you take the 11 % VAT out first, and what Hagstofa's figures show about Icelandic restaurants.
Running a restaurant
- The European Accessibility Act and your kiosk: what applies in Iceland today The status of the EU accessibility rules in Iceland as of October 2026, what they cover in the EU, and what to look for in an accessible kiosk, QR menu or online shop.
- CCTV, guest lists and marketing texts: the privacy rules for Icelandic restaurants What the Icelandic rules say about security cameras, how long you can keep footage, what to keep from bookings, and when you can send marketing emails and SMS.
- End-of-day close for restaurants in Iceland: a checklist What to count, compare and sign before you close the shift, which steps the rules require, and what goes to your accountant. A printable checklist for shift managers.
- Food trucks and festival stalls in Iceland: the permits you need, and what they cost The land permit, the food permit and the alcohol permit for a food truck, market stall or pop-up bar, with Reykjavík's 2026 prices and lead times. As of October 2026.
- Hiring for a restaurant in Iceland: the workforce in numbers, and hiring from abroad Who works in Icelandic food service, how hard it is to hire now, and the official steps to hire someone from the EEA or from outside it. As of October 2026.
- No-shows: what research says about deposits, card guarantees and cancellation fees How often booked guests do not come, what strict and lenient policies do to bookings, and what Icelandic law says about a no-show fee. With a sample policy.
- What a star is worth: research on online reviews, and how to reply What studies show about ratings, sales and replies, the rules on reviews in the Icelandic Marketing Act of 2026, and a simple weekly routine for replying.
- Serving alcohol in Iceland: age checks, the advertising ban and licensed hours The age limits, the advertising ban and the Reykjavík serving hours that a bar or restaurant works with, from the law text. As of October 2026.
- Single-use plastic in Icelandic cafés: what is banned and what needs a charge Which single-use plastic items are banned in Iceland, why takeaway cups and food boxes need a charge on the receipt, and what UOS inspectors found at food outlets from 2022 to 2025.
- Opening a terrace in Reykjavík: permits, hours, noise and smoking The permit steps for outdoor tables in Reykjavík, how late you can serve alcohol outside, the noise limits and the smoking rules. As of October 2026.
- How much do tourists spend in Iceland, and how much of it goes to restaurants? Foreign card turnover by month, the share of tourist spending that goes to restaurants, restaurant turnover in 2024–2026 and where foreign guests stay, from Seðlabanki and Hagstofa data.
- Voids, comps and missing cash: internal controls for restaurants Which routines keep voids, comps and the cash drawer in order, what the research shows, and what Icelandic law expects. Good controls protect honest staff as well as the business.
- How to choose a POS for a restaurant in Iceland What to test, what to ask and what to read in the contract before you choose a POS for a restaurant in Iceland. Written for owners, as of October 2026.
- Kiosks, QR and online ordering: what the evidence says What published research says about self-ordering, order size and speed, where a kiosk, a QR menu or your own webshop helps, and what to check before you decide.
- Opening a restaurant in Iceland: the permits, in the right order Which permits a new restaurant, café or food truck in Iceland needs, who issues each one, and the order that saves you time. As of October 2026.
- Planning for the seasons with Iceland's tourism data What the airport counts and overnight stays show about the busy and quiet months in each part of Iceland, and how to use them with your own sales to plan staff, stock and hours.
- When the internet goes down: how to keep selling What a restaurant can keep doing without internet, how card payments work during an outage in Iceland, and a short plan to prepare before it happens.
Accounting & tax
- VAT for restaurants When 11 % VAT applies and when 24 % applies.
- E-invoicing in Iceland: how to bill the state, a municipality or a company What an electronic invoice is, why the state and Reykjavík accept only electronic invoices, and how a restaurant or caterer can send one.
- Gift cards at a restaurant in Iceland: the 4-year rule, VAT and your books How long a restaurant gift card is valid in Iceland, when VAT is due on it, and how to keep track of unused balances. Written for owners who sell cards at Christmas.
- What a POS must do under Icelandic rules The receipt, the daily sales report, the grand total and how long to keep records. What Icelandic rules ask of a restaurant POS, as of October 2026.
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